On December 2 (KST), the 15th Melon Music Awards unfolded in a grand celebration of the year’s outstanding achievements in the dynamic world of K-Pop. The night saw NewJeans sweeping top honours with wins in ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Artist of the Year’, while IVE secured the coveted ‘Album of the Year’. Notably, NCT Dream clinched the ‘Record of the Year’ award, a triumph that soon sparked intense debate among K-Pop enthusiasts.
The controversy ignited when the criteria for the ‘Record of the Year’ award were disclosed on the official Melon Music Awards website. Unlike three out of the four Daesang (Grand Prize) awards, which were determined by a blend of sales, judge evaluations, and votes, the ‘Record of the Year’ award stood out as the sole category relying entirely on judge evaluations.
This revelation fuelled scepticism among fans, with some questioning the legitimacy of NCT Dream’s inclusion in the Daesang lineup. The comments on social media platforms were a reflection of the discontentment among fans, with one user expressing, “It’s ALWAYS NCT and some nonsense Daesang. I wonder if the members feel embarrassed for having accepted it”. Another commenter pointed fingers at SM Entertainment, stating, “Of course, it’s SM Entertainment. As always, at every award ceremony”. The sentiment that the Daesang was perceived as manufactured was evident in the remark, “A made-up Daesang for the group, LOL”.
Critics further voiced their disapproval, with one comment highlighting the perceived lack of concern from SM Entertainment, “SM Entertainment doesn’t care. It’s disgusting. No one is going to remember this Daesang. Instead, it’ll go down in history as one of the most nonsense wins”. The frustration reached its peak as a user accused SM Entertainment of recurrently taking awards from other groups, saying, “Here we go again, with SM Entertainment stealing the award from some other group. So shameless to be doing this EVERY YEAR. No wonder the company is on the brink of going under”.
Conversely, NCT Dream’s staunch supporters defended the group’s win, emphasising that it was deemed deserving by judges with professional expertise in the entertainment industry. Despite the controversy, NCT Dream members displayed grace and composure at the awards ceremony, further fuelling the debate over the intersection of artistic merit and industry politics in the realm of K-Pop accolades.
The controversy ignited when the criteria for the ‘Record of the Year’ award were disclosed on the official Melon Music Awards website. Unlike three out of the four Daesang (Grand Prize) awards, which were determined by a blend of sales, judge evaluations, and votes, the ‘Record of the Year’ award stood out as the sole category relying entirely on judge evaluations.
This revelation fuelled scepticism among fans, with some questioning the legitimacy of NCT Dream’s inclusion in the Daesang lineup. The comments on social media platforms were a reflection of the discontentment among fans, with one user expressing, “It’s ALWAYS NCT and some nonsense Daesang. I wonder if the members feel embarrassed for having accepted it”. Another commenter pointed fingers at SM Entertainment, stating, “Of course, it’s SM Entertainment. As always, at every award ceremony”. The sentiment that the Daesang was perceived as manufactured was evident in the remark, “A made-up Daesang for the group, LOL”.
Critics further voiced their disapproval, with one comment highlighting the perceived lack of concern from SM Entertainment, “SM Entertainment doesn’t care. It’s disgusting. No one is going to remember this Daesang. Instead, it’ll go down in history as one of the most nonsense wins”. The frustration reached its peak as a user accused SM Entertainment of recurrently taking awards from other groups, saying, “Here we go again, with SM Entertainment stealing the award from some other group. So shameless to be doing this EVERY YEAR. No wonder the company is on the brink of going under”.
Conversely, NCT Dream’s staunch supporters defended the group’s win, emphasising that it was deemed deserving by judges with professional expertise in the entertainment industry. Despite the controversy, NCT Dream members displayed grace and composure at the awards ceremony, further fuelling the debate over the intersection of artistic merit and industry politics in the realm of K-Pop accolades.
